Couples for Ryder Cup captain? Why not?

Whenever a captain has success in guiding a team to victory, there are always questions. Like just how much influence do the captains have?

In the case of golf, look back no further than the 2012 Ryder Cup. Through two days the Americans had built an insurmountable four-point lead over the Europeans, and Davis Love was a genius in the way he had led the Americans. When the lead turned out to be surmountable after all, and players like Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods lost in the closing holes of their matches, Love was suddenly no genius. So was Love the reason the American's built the lead, or the reason they lost the lead?

Which brings us to Fred Couples, who will guide the American side for the third consecutive Presidents Cup this week. The Americans have won twice under Couples, and that record has some asking if perhaps the PGA of America needs to take a long look at Couples as a potential Ryder Cup captain.

Couples have been credit for bring his own relaxed style to the matches, urging his players to have some fun. For goodness sake, Couples brought basketball great Michael Jordan to the event as an assistant captain. Who does that but Freddie?

The U.S. golfers love Couples as a captain, and maybe that's half the battle of being a good captain. An even though the Americans always seem to win the Presidents Cup, Couples seems to have done the job as well as he could.

But does that make his a Ryder Cup captain?

There are a few things standing in the way of Couples getting the nod to lead the U.S. Ryder Cup team. First, the 2014 team already has a captain, Tom Watson. That means the next Cup captaincy won't be available until 2016. And there is already talk that the PGA of America may give that slot to Larry Nelson, believed to be overlooked by the PGA through the years.

Second, if Couples doesn't get consideration until 2018 or later, he'll be fighting some other players who seem in line for the honor from the PGA. It seems like Steve Stricker is going to get a shot at the captaincy, and Jim Furyk isn't too far away from the job. After that, Phil Mickelson might be the captain. Where does all that leave Couples if he isn't captain in 2016?

Finally, the Ryder Cup is not exactly the same atmosphere as the Presidents Cup. The Americans have a pretty poor record in the Ryder Cup in the last 15 years or so, and the European players seem to take the Ryder Cup more seriously than the International team takes the Presidents Cup. Would Couples' laid-back approach backfire in the high pressure of the Ryder Cup, or would it be exactly what an overly-wound American team needs in the matches?

All that said, it seems the PGA at least owes it to the competition to take a serious look at Couples. Maybe in the end they decide not to give him the job. But he shouldn't be dismissed out of hand. Heck, Couples might even been a genius, at least for a few days of Ryder Cup play.

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Couples for Ryder Cup captain? Why not?

Whenever a captain has success in guiding a team to victory, there are always questions. Like just how much influence do the captains have?